Over the years, as businesses have adopted computer-based systems and networks to assist in performing business-related functions and operations, they have looked for ways to exchange business information with other businesses reliably and securely. In the conventional art, businesses typically use Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), a standard format for exchanging business information. Additionally, they typically hire a value-added network (VAN), a private network provider, to facilitate in the exchange of EDI information between businesses over a proprietary network. VANs use a variety of network protocols, such as Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP), frame relay, Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC), and Systems Network Architecture (SNA), to facilitate the exchange of the EDI business information.
However, the minimum monthly fees and per-character charges incurred by businesses using a VAN can be expensive, particularly when the businesses must exchange large amounts of information. For example, it is not uncommon for businesses to exchange greater than twenty Megabytes of information and even product catalogs that are greater than two Gigabytes in size. Consequently, there is a need in the art for a cost-efficient and reliable means of exchanging a large amount of business information over a non-proprietary medium, such as the World Wide Web. Additionally, there is a need in the art for a reliable means of exchanging large amounts of information without overloading network bandwidth and resources. Last, there is a need in the art for a means of exchanging business information without under-utilizing network bandwidth and resources.